Open to awareness

Open to awareness

"Mindfulness means moment-to-moment, non-judgmental awareness. It is cultivated by refining our capacity to pay attention, intentionally, in the present moment, and then sustaining that attention over time as best we can. In the process, we become more in touch with our life as it is unfolding."

-- Myla & Jon Kabat-Zinn

Why do we want to become more aware?

If we remain unaware, we:
- repeat the past,
- remain stuck in relationships,
- live superficial, literal and one dimensional lives,
- lack experiences of love and beauty, and
- have limited connection to others and the universe.


With awareness, we are fully involved with life. Awareness is sensing deeply and sensitively for what really is. To do this, we need to approach the present as totally new. When we can be open and attentive in each moment, we begin to free ourselves from the conditioning of the past and the suffering that it so often brings.

"If moment by moment you can keep your mind clear then nothing will confuse you."

-- Sheng Yen

Yes indeed. Why does the river want to flow instead of staying still? Because it longs for new sights to see, just as we as humans thirst for new experiences so that we might grow and expand. Opening to awareness allows us to use more of our faculties and take in more of life. It is only when we start to grow in awareness that we understand how whole 'whole' really is...